I realized I've been writing an awful lot of posts about revision lately...which of course makes some sense (since revision has been Eating My Brain!) but is also starting to make me feel a little one-sided, since there really are other things going on in my life right now, too. This was especially made apparent last night when Patrick and I realized that, according to NHS maternity guidelines (which claim that babies can safely & healthily arrive anytime from 37-42 weeks into pregnancy), our baby could arrive in as little as 3 and a half weeks!!!! *gasp* *squee* *eek?* Now, I sort of doubt that he/she will actually arrive that early...but the point is, theoretically, we could have a baby arrive in our house any time within the next 3-1/2 to 8-1/2 weeks. So, needless to say, we're doing a LOT of house reorganizing right now - everything from getting new furniture to searching for better heating options to setting up important post-baby stuff like a diaper service. (Best baby gift ever! THANK YOU to the wonderful people who are giving that to us!!! :) )

Those are mostly chores that fall in the really-important-yet-not-terribly-interesting-to-blog-about category, though...so here's some of the fun stuff that's been happening at the same time.

Yesterday I met Adrienne Odasso for lunch at a wonderful, new-to-me Japanese restaurant, and it was great! It's always so cool to meet someone in person after knowing them online, and to find out they're even smarter and nicer and more interesting than you'd realized. We talked spec-fic, historical fiction, publishing and academia, and we ate amazing food. Now I just wish she lived in Leeds instead of York...but at least I've done my best to talk her into coming to Eastercon in Bradford next year! (And I made a big push for Wiscon, too, but we'll see. :) )

While I was searching for the answer to a historical question (yes, that bit is revision-related, I admit), I came across a very fun Jane Austen-/Regency history-oriented blog, Jane Austen's World, and best of all, there's a whole entry on hot chocolate in the 18th and 19th centuries, with photos of beautiful hot chocolate sets - and it includes recipes! I am SO planning to try all of these out. (Well, except maybe for the one that includes "ear flower" as an ingredient...unless I can find out for absolutely sure what an "ear flower" really is and be certain that it isn't as disgusting as it sounds!) My addiction to and obsession with good hot chocolate has been going on for a long time, so getting to mingle it with my even longer-standing 18th/19th-century obsession feels just heavenly.

The blog author also links to a longer article, with even more recipes, at the Jane Austen Centre: A Passion for Hot Chocolate. Swoon...

And a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jenn Reese, one of my favorite writers and people! Yay, Jenn!!!